3-14-2023 1:01pm

The Ides of March

Christine Larkin Editor

Ides di marzo. The Ides of March. Some dread this day. It's the 74th day in the Roman calendar. It was marked by several religious observations and was notable for the Romans as a deadline for settling debts. In 44 BC, it became notorious as the date of the assassination of Julius Caesar, which made the Ides of March a turning point in Roman history.

Caesar was stabbed to death at a meeting of the Senate. Not such a good day for him. As many as 60 conspirators, led by Brutus and Cassius, were involved. According to Plutarch, a seer had warned that harm would come to Caesar on the Ides of March. On his way to the Theatre of Pompey, where he would be assassinated, Caesar passed the seer and joked, "Well, the Ides of March are come", implying that the prophecy had not been fulfilled, to which the seer replied "Aye, they are come, but they are not gone." This meeting is famously dramatized in William Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar, when Caesar is warned by the soothsayer to "beware the Ides of March." The Roman biographer Suetonius identifies the "seer" as a haruspex named Spurinna.

Caesar's death was a closing event in the crisis of the Roman Republic and triggered the civil war that would result in the rise to sole power of his adopted heir Octavian (later known as Augustus). Writing under Augustus, Ovid portrays the murder as a sacrilege, since Caesar was also the Pontifex Maximus of Rome and a priest of Vesta. On the fourth anniversary of Caesar's death in 40 BC, after achieving a victory at the siege of Perugia, Octavian executed 300 senators and equites (a class of citizens who originally formed the cavalry of the Roman army and at a later period were a wealthy class of great political importance in Ancient Rome) who had fought against him under Lucius Antonius, the brother of Mark Antony. The executions were one of a series of actions taken by Octavian to avenge Caesar's death. Suetonius and the historian Cassius Dio characterized the slaughter as a religious sacrifice, noting that it occurred on the Ides of March at the new altar to the defied Julius.

I've lost two dear family members on The Ides of March. My maternal grandfather, Joe DiResta, and my beloved brother-in-law, Ted Ricci, who is gone one year. We remember them as the very best of men. They were kind, generous, loving, and good-hearted. As the saying goes, they don't make them like that anymore. They are now with our Lord in eternity forever. May they rest in peace. Possano riposare in pace.

Peace and Love,

Skylark

At 60 and Beyond, no matter when our loved ones pass away, we remember that day like it was yesterday.

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SKYLARK'S PICK OF THE WEEK - ROME, ITALY

I had the good fortune of visiting Rome, Italy. It is one of the most historical places on earth. I highly recommend a visit. This was Caesar's city. Plan a trip there when you can. Any time of year is a good time to visit this enchanted place, but during the Ides of March in Rome, you can see in-person re-enactments of Caesar’s assassination at the Torre Argentina archeological site. Don’t forget to visit his memorial statue and the Roman Forum while you’re there! That's Italian!

For more information, visit www.rome.net

SKYLARK'S INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Beware the Ides of March.

-William Shakespeare-

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SKYLARK'S SONG OF THE WEEK - VEHICLE by THE IDES OF MARCH

LYRICS

Hey well I'm the friendly stranger in the black sedan won't you hop inside my car
I got pictures got candy I am a lovable man I'd like to take you to the nearest star
I'm your vehicle baby
I'll take you anywhere you wanna go
I'm your vehicle woman
By now I'm sure you know that I love ya (love ya)
I need ya (need ya)
I want you got to have you child
Great God in heaven you know I love you
Well if you want to be a movie star I got the ticket to Hollywood
If you want to stay just like you are you know I think you really should
I'm your vehicle baby
I'll take you anywhere you wanna go
I'm your vehicle woman
By now I'm sure you know that I love ya (love ya)
I need ya (need ya)
I want you got to have you child
Great God in heaven you know I love... you
Oh... you know I do...
Well I'm the friendly stranger in the black sedan won't you hop inside my car
I got pictures candy I am a lovable man I'd like to take you to the nearest star
I'm your vehicle babe
I'll take you anywhere you wanna go
I'm your vehicle woman
By now I'm sure you know that I love ya (love ya)
I need ya (need ya)
I want you I got to have ya
Great God in heaven you know I love... you
And I'm your vehicle babe
Alright
You know I love ya (love ya)
I need ya (need ya)
I want you got to have you child
Great God in heaven you know I love you

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